MBTA suggests 29% rail fare hike

Thursday

All the trains will keep running between Worcester and Boston — even late-night runs and on weekends — but riders will see a 29 percent hike in fares under an MBTA fare proposal aired yesterday.

Secretary of Transportation Richard A. Davey said the proposal, which backs off an earlier plan to eliminate late-night and weekend trains to Worcester as well as a proposed 43 percent fare hike, is needed to deal with a $180 million budget deficit the MBTA faces, primarily from rising debt costs.

Across the entire MBTA system, including subways and commuter rail, commuters will see an average 23 percent fare hike, officials said.

The increase will result in raising the cost of a monthly commuter rail pass between Worcester and Boston and Fitchburg to Boston from $250 to $314. A one-way fare to Boston from Worcester would rise from $7.75 to $10. The same increase is applicable to a one-way trip from Fitchburg to Boston.

At a press conference, Mr. Davey said he settled on less severe service cuts and fare hikes. But the MBTA will proceed with elimination of four bus routes, reduced runs on 14 other lines and elimination of weekend service on the Greenbush, Needham and Kingston-Plymouth commuter rail service.

The new plan will cover the deficit by tapping one-time state money for $61 million in fiscal 2013. The state allocation includes $51 million in surplus funds from motor vehicle inspection fees, $5 million from the state’s current snow and ice account, and a $5 million payment for lease of the North Station parking garage.

Earlier plans for fare hikes up to 43 percent and severe service cuts throughout the MBTA system brought out fierce opposition from consumer groups and riders who rallied in opposition at 31 public hearings around the state.

The new recommendations will go before the Department of Transportation board of directors on April 4.

“We have put forth a solution that limits the impact on riders for one year, but I encourage everyone to remain engaged in helping us find a long-term fix for the T’s problems,” Mr. Davey said.

He said while this proposal will address the budget gap for the coming year, it relies on one-time solutions while the deficits are expected to increase in each of the next three years. MBTA officials estimated they will see a new deficit in 2014 of $100 million, and that it will grow to $150 million in 2015 and to $230 million in 2016.

Officials said the higher fares will result in a reduction in ridership as commuters are either unable or unwilling to pay the higher fares. They estimated 20 million fewer rider trips next year, a 5 percent reduction from the current record ridership on the transit system.

The fare hikes will see the cost of a Boston subway system trip rise from $1.70 to $2 while a senior fare will increase from 60 cents to $1. Student subway fares will also go up, from 85 cents to $1. The current $2 fare charged for the Ride para-transit service will increase to $4, with an additional $1 in premium fare zones.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick said he approves of the revised fare hike proposals, but warned it is a one-year fix and that more financial solutions will be needed to fix deficits after 2013.

“We have a broken transportation system. It was broken when we inherited it five years ago. It was disorganized, mismanaged and inefficient,” he said, which prompted a merger of transportation agencies two years ago. Despite use of new technology, elimination of duplicate operations and pension reforms, he said, the system faces long-term deficit problems, including towering debt financing problems.

“The T will be back in this position next year,” he said, adding that regional transportation systems around the state are also underfunded. While he said he is not ready to offer a long-term financing solution to bring in more revenue now, he expects to propose additional solutions next year.

“The T we inherited had a fatally flawed budget. It was burdened with Big Dig debt and pushing payments off to the future,” he said. “This solution is all about patches and plugs,” he said, before saying the Legislature will have to be receptive to either a hike in gasoline taxes or some other revenue increases next year to put mass transit on a stable financial footing.

“This isn’t about luxury. This is about people having access to work and having access to school,” he said. “We are going to have to deal with it.”

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